


Business and Pleasure

by auberus, Morgyn Leri (morgynleri)



Series: Darker Reflections [7]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, GFY
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-15
Updated: 2012-07-15
Packaged: 2017-11-10 00:40:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/460334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auberus/pseuds/auberus, https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgynleri/pseuds/Morgyn%20Leri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Olivia and Alex spend some quality time together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Business and Pleasure

The phone was ringing again. Its high-pitched tone cut through the soft music Olivia had been listening to, and brought back all the stress of a day spent soothing bruised egos and getting high-maintenance madams from various brothels to agree to follow Fin's rules.

Some of the madams were new, brought in from various competitors, and the idea of treating prostitutes with respect was alien to them. They would learn, or they would be gone.

With a sigh - she'd intended to get in the bath and wash away the day's stress - Olivia picked up her cell phone. One look at the display turned her impending frown into a genuine smile, and she flipped open the phone, glad to do so.

"Alex. I was just thinking about you." It was nothing but the truth. Alex Cabot had been the best part of Olivia's life for nearly two years, and despite the luxury of her penthouse apartment, when Alex wasn't there the place seemed empty.

"Olivia." Alex's voice was warm with affection, the smile on her face audible over the phone. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Not that she expected she was, other than perhaps a bath, this late in the day. It was time for the working girls - and boys - to be starting, and letting the upper management rest, as she was quite aware. And she had managed to clear her evening, so she would have the time to make a proper visit, which she hadn't been able to do in weeks.

"Not a thing. I was about to get in the bath - but I can postpone that until you arrive." Crossing to the fireplace, Olivia lit the candles on the mantle. "Can I hope that you'll be staying for the evening?"

"I had planned on it." Alex fished a key out of her pocket as she went up the steps to Olivia's building, glad to step in off the street without spotting any of the paparazzi that followed her when they got the chance. "I'm on my way up."

She closed the phone as she stepped into the elevator, pulling the scarf off her hair once the doors were closed, hiding her from the public eye entirely as she made her way up to the penthouse. Unlocking the door, she let her purse slide from her shoulder, setting it on the table next to the door.

"Hello," Olivia said softly, putting down the phone and crossing the floor to Alex. "I missed you." 

Kissing Alex was always like coming home, safe and familiar and well-loved; simple, in a world full of stress and complications. Pulling away reluctantly, she ran one finger over the curve of Alex's cheek. 

"How was your day?"

"Loud, mostly." Alex tucked back a strand of Olivia's hair, relaxing finally as the quiet and peace of the apartment started to sink in. "Full of children, other contributors to the project, reporters, and photographers. All there to see Alexandra Cabot open another center for inner-city children, to keep them off the street."

She shrugged, dismissing it as almost trivial - it was more a way of maintaining her reputation than true philanthropy. "I hope your day was at least quieter." She didn't bother to even imply it might have been less stressful.

"Hardly," Olivia said dryly. She released Alex reluctantly, and moved to the sideboard, reaching for the bottle of wine she'd set out to breathe when she got home. "One of my more flamboyant boys decided he wanted to get into a screaming slap-fight with Donna. She could have broken him in half, but he didn't care. I had to break it up, and keep them on opposite ends of the room the entire time."

She poured two glasses and carried them over to the couch.

"Join me?" she suggested, holding one out to Alex.

"Gladly." Alex accepted the glass as she settled onto the couch next to Olivia, cradling it in one hand, the other resting along the back of the couch, lacing her fingers through Olivia's hair. "Did they both come out of it in one piece?"

"Not for lack of trying." Olivia leaned her head into Alex's hand, closing her eyes as she savored the touch. She put her free hand on Alex's thigh, resting it there. "I wished I could send them to separate corners, but I had to settle for opposite ends of the table, and keeping Jerry where I could grab him if he decided to go over the table at Donna."

"Jerry is rather volatile." Alex chuckled, taking a sip of the wine as she leaned back into the couch, comfortable and relaxed. It was nice to enjoy a few moments of peace with her partner, even if they were discussing business in the process.

"What set him off this time? He's never been actually violent before, not that I recall."

"You know how Donna can be," Olivia said, relaxing into the curve of Alex's arm. "She was her usual cutting self, and Jerry was feeling more put-upon than usual, because she's gone co-ed and some of his boys have gone to her. It wasn't really violence - he wouldn't have done more than slap her - but Donna would have taken it a step further." Donna had, like Olivia herself, been a working girl before stepping up and taking control of her own brothel, and she had no tolerance for violent men, even when they were as obviously ineffectual as Jerry.

"Which would have gotten Fin involved, sooner or later." Alex shook her head, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to Olivia's temple. "Did you manage to work things out, or should I clear my morning tomorrow?"

She didn't get deeply involved in the business that was Olivia's bread-and-butter, but she had invested in some of the buildings, and she was always willing to lend her political and financial weight to things when needed. It had helped, with some of the more difficult madams, but hadn't often been a necessity.

"I took care of it." Olivia turned her head so that her face was buried in the curve of Alex's neck and shoulder. "Jerry's been given the opportunity to try and get his boys back, and Donna is convinced it won't work, so they'll both be happy. I'm going to have the whole thing supervised, though, just in case. You don't need to clear your morning - unless you want to spend it in bed with me. I'm free until two tomorrow."

"I might just do that." Alex slid her arm down around Olivia's shoulders, stroking her thumb over the soft skin. "There's nothing really important scheduled, anyway. Just some meeting with my financial planner that can be rescheduled."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Olivia took a sip of her wine, then lifted her head to draw Alex into a kiss, tangling her fingers in Alex's blonde hair and stroking her thumb across one of those high cheekbones. 

"I do miss you when you're gone," she murmured, lips brushing against Alex's as she spoke.

"I'd stay around more if I could." Alex leaned her forehead against Olivia's, eyes half-closed as she continued to stroke her thumb over Olivia's shoulder. "Politics are a bitch, and the paparazzi are relentless."

"I know. It was an observation, not a complaint," Olivia said, sighing contentedly. "Tell me about this shelter of yours." She liked hearing about Alex's projects, mostly for the sake of listening to the other woman's voice, but in part because she herself had been one of those at-risk kids, many years ago. It was luck and determination that had kept her from being just one more dead whore with a needle in her arm, and she never forgot that.

"Four classrooms, a library, a gym, a playground in the courtyard, two indoors playrooms, a nursery, two kitchens, and eight floors of rooms for kids to stay overnight." Alex smiled, glad to talk about the project with someone who cared about more than a sound-bite. "I had John's company go through the backgrounds of every employee with a fine-tooth comb, so I can guarantee a safe environment for those kids."

Olivia nodded, toying idly with a few strands of Alex's hair. "John's people are good at that. It would be a real shame to expose those kids to a predator in one of the few places that offer them genuine safety."

"Exactly why I had John look through the backgrounds. He'll find information even the cops would miss." Her smile widened into a smirk. "And he has a better guarantee for the accuracy of his reports than anyone else I can think of."

Not that she'd ever ask about exactly what happened to anyone John found had made his report look inaccurate, in one fashion or another. It was safer, after all, if she didn't know what happened. For everyone involved.

"Very true." Olivia finished her glass of wine and reached for the bottle, refilling her own glass and topping off Alex's. "Speaking of people with impressive guarantees, I sent Elliot Stabler over to see John today."

"To be a fly on that wall." Alex chuckled, taking another sip of her wine. "At least he's finally dealing with that detective who's been causing him problems. She was getting a little too close for my comfort to connecting dots that should remain unconnected."

Friends in the DA's office and the commissioner's office made monitoring people like Jeffries easier than it would be for most. And she hadn't liked the silence lately on the subject of the zealous detective.

"Elliot is nothing if not efficient." Olivia dropped a series of small kisses along the line of Alex's neck. "But I'm tired of business."

"I was thinking about drawing a bath. Care to join me?"

Closing her eyes, Alex let her head fall back, exposing the line of her throat. "I'd like that."

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on LiveJournal on 21 October 2009.


End file.
